Evan Longoria, Third Base, Arizona Diamondbacks
Date of Birth: 10/7/1985
Birthplace: Downey, California
College: California State University at Long Beach
Nickname: Longo
Evan Longoria, third baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks, made his major league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. He had an outstanding first year in the majors, batting .272 with 27 home runs and 85 RBIs in 122 games. Longoria received the American League Rookie of the Year award for his first year efforts in 2008.
Longoria continued to play well in 2009, receiving both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards for that season. He won his second Gold Glove the following year. His numbers fell down in 2011 and 2012, partly due to injuries that forced him to miss 13 weeks in 2012.
In November, 2012, Longoria signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Rays. He was back to strong form in 2013, batting .269 with 165 hits, 39 doubles, 32 home runs, and 88 RBIs in 160 games. He finished the 2014 season with 158 hits, 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 91 RBIs, and a .253 batting average in a career high 162 games.
Longoria finished the 2016 season with a career high 173 hits, 41 doubles, a career high 36 home runs, 98 RBIs, and a .273 batting average. As the Rays' third baseman, he made 254 assists, 30 double plays, 103 putouts, and 9 errors in 152 games.
In 2017, Longoria had a .261 batting average in 156 games. He finished with 160 hits, 36 doubles, 20 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 109 strikeouts to 46 walks. Defensively, as the Rays' third baseman in 142 games, he made 267 assists, 33 double plays, 96 putouts, and 12 errors. He had a .968 fielding percentage. For his defensive efforts, he won his third Gold Glove award.
Longoria was traded to the San Francisco Giants on December 20, 2017. He finished the 2018 season with 117 hits, 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 54 RBIs, and a career low batting average of .244 in 125 games. As the Giants' third baseman in 123 games, he made 213 assists, 72 putouts, and 15 errors.
Longoria spent time on the DL in 2019 with a foot injury. He played in 129 games and he had 115 hits, 19 doubles, 20 home runs, 69 RBIs, 112 strikeouts to 43 walks, and a .254 batting average. As the Giants' third baseman in 119 games, he made 233 assists, 69 putouts, and 15 errors and he had a .953 fielding percentage.
Longoria played in 53 games in 2020. He finished the season with 49 hits, 10 doubles, 7 home runs, 28 RBIs, 39 strikeouts to 11 walks, and a .254 batting average. Defensively, he played 52 games at third base.
Longoria spent time on the IL in 2021 with a left shoulder sprain and with a right hand contusion. He finished the season with 66 hits, 17 doubles, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, 68 strikeouts to 35 walks, and a .261 batting average in 81 games. Defensively, at third base, he made 139 assists, 47 putouts, and 5 errors, and he had a .974 fielding percentage in 78 games. In the postseason, he batted just .118 in 17 at-bats in 5 games.
Longoria became a free agent on November 10, 2022. He signed with the Diamondbacks on January 5, 2023.
Statistics for Longoria in fourteen seasons (2008-2021) in the major leagues include:
- 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 173 in 2016
- 7 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 46 in 2010
- 9 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 36 in 2016
- 2 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 113 in 2009
Career batting statistics for Longoria through 2021 include:
- 1,823 games played
- 1,818 hits
- 409 doubles
- 317 home runs
- 1,089 RBIs
- 1,540 strikeouts to 680 walks
- .266 batting average
Career fielding statistics for Longoria at third base through 2021 include:
- 1,717 games played
- 3,108 assists
- 375 double plays
- 1,240 putouts
- 152 errors
- .966 fielding percentage
Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Evan Longoria
ESPN Sports - Evan Longoria